This 2016 video from England is called Zac Goldsmith: your London mayoral campaign is a disgrace | Owen Jones talks.
From daily The Morning Star in Britain:
Saturday 19th August 2018
TORY MP Zac Goldsmith was accused of a “shameful” political smear yesterday after he shared a social media post linking the Barcelona terrorist attack with left-wing Labour group Momentum. …
The comment was retweeted by the MP for Richmond, who was accused of running one of the most racist campaigns in recent history in the run-up to the 2015 London mayoral election, in which he was defeated by Labour’s Sadiq Khan.
Momentum national spokeswoman Emma Rees said: “On behalf of Momentum, I offer our solidarity and condolences to all of those affected and urge Zac Goldsmith to retract his comments, apologise and show some respect for those who died in this tragic attack.”
Mr Goldmsith had not responded when the Star went to press.
In the month since the online daily Público revealed that Spanish and European intelligence intensively monitored the perpetrators of the August 2017 Barcelona terror attack up until the very day it took place, a bitter battle has unfolded within the Spanish media and political establishment. The Público report provided detailed evidence, based on internal documents, of official foreknowledge of the attack, which was led by a Spanish intelligence asset. Yet the ruling establishment is uniting to denounce the report and pour scorn on the idea that an official conspiracy took place: here.
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Friday 15th September 2017
The news this July and August wasn’t silly so much as it was downright sinister, writes CHRIS WILLIAMSON
Without a Labour leadership contest to occupy the minds of the chattering classes, July and August returned to the traditional “silly season.”
That was only to be expected, but this year’s was one of the silliest I can remember and on occasions it wasn’t simply silly, it was downright unpleasant and sinister, too.
What surprised me was that I was the target for much of this twaddle. The old “reds under the bed” guff was dusted off for another outing, malicious accusations of sexism and antisemitism were thrown around like confetti, while some MPs behaved like medieval feudal barons.
I encountered the baronial persona of some MPs when I had the audacity to announce that I was helping to launch a new Momentum branch covering Redcar, Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland.
I was publicly taken to task on Twitter for failing to notify the local MP that I was attending a meeting in her constituency.
The only problem was the meeting wasn’t in her constituency, but an adjoining one where the Labour candidate who fought the general election was in attendance. Incredibly this incident led to widespread “news” coverage including an appearance on Radio 4’s World at One.
The red scare attack lines were risible. The surge in the Labour Party’s membership has occurred because millions have been inspired by Jeremy Corbyn’s advocacy of what I have described as common sense socialism.
Hundreds of thousands of these Labour supporters have now joined the Labour Party, which is a cause for huge celebration.
However, much to the chagrin of media commentators and New Labour throwbacks, some constituencies have had the temerity to elect officers who reflect the views of party members. This seems to have come as a shock to those who prefer backroom deals, but members actually prefer open democracy to stitch-ups.
The red scare tactics didn’t stop there either. I was pilloried for suggesting an extension to the Labour Party’s democracy by introducing mandatory reselection for MPs.
Such a move would enhance the standing of MPs by keeping them grounded, and resist the propensity of some to float away with the Westminster bubble.
Moreover, no other elected position continues in perpetuity whether it be a trade union leader, councillor or chair of a local bowls club, so why should MPs be given a special dispensation?
MPs do of course subject themselves to election by the public every five years or so, but without the support of Labour Party members their parliamentary careers would be over.
The problems in Venezuela were also used over the summer months to cast aspersions on anyone who has spoken in support of the Venezuelan government in the past.
The critics conveniently ignore the progressive reforms introduced there before the present crisis, and wilfully disregard the impact of the oil price collapse, economic sabotage by Venezuela’s right-wing elite and US interference.
Then they overlook the extreme violence being perpetrated by paramilitary groups supporting the rightwing opposition, and the fact that security service personnel and police officers who have used excessive force have been arrested and charged.
These denunciations were followed by ridiculous accusations of sexism. One prominent MP even went so far as to say left-wing men “are literally the worst” sexists. I fell victim to this absurd assertion after retweeting a story about the 150 per cent increase in assaults on women travelling on trains.
The story highlighted the fact that Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership campaign had floated the idea of women-only carriages two years ago. I was then contacted by the media for a comment and said it might be worth consulting on offering a choice.
But I insisted that if there was support for the idea, there would need to be more guards on trains and better security at stations to enforce it.
Sadly, facts weren’t allowed to impinge on the preposterous claims that I was advocating “segregation” and “apartheid.”
Although the allegations about sexism were unpleasant, the accusations of anti-semitism were positively sinister and followed my lengthy interview with the Guardian newspaper in August. In it I said that many people in the Jewish community had told me they were appalled by what they had publicly described as the “weaponisation of anti-semitism.”
I also stated that false allegations were a “dirty, low-down trick.” This led to demands for me to be sacked from the front bench because, it was claimed, I was denying anti-semitism existed, which I wasn’t.
Some even made the highly offensive and hurtful suggestion that I was an anti-semite myself, yet I have fought racism all my adult life, from the 1970s when I was active in the Anti-Nazi League.
But despite these innuendos and outright smears, support for common sense socialism is growing and with solidarity we will defeat the bullies and the haters to deliver a Corbyn-led Labour government.
Chris Williamson is shadow minister for fire services and MP for Derby North, joint honorary president of Labour Friends of Progressive Latin America and is involved in the No Coup in Brazil initiative.
http://morningstaronline.co.uk/a-3bc8-Red-scares-and-bigotry-How-the-summer-turned-nasty#.WbukFsZpEdU
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Wednesday 27th September 2017
posted by Lamiat Sabin in Britain
Conference votes to strengthen role of 600,000 ordinary members
DELEGATES to Labour conference voted yesterday to boost the role of the party’s 600,000 members and millions of affiliated trade unionists.
Left-wing MPs have praised the rule changes as strengthening the voice of ordinary people in the party and making it easier for Labour to win power as “a party for the many and not the few.”
There will now be three more seats on the party’s national executive for constituency party reps and one more for trade unions, taking the total number of members to 28.
They also voted to reduce the amount of MPs and MEPs needed to nominated a leadership candidate from 15 to 10 per cent, known as the McDonnell amendment, after Labour MPs shut the leftwinger out of the 2007 and 2010 contests.
Supporters of the change — including grassroots group Momentum — have said this would make it far more likely that leftwingers would head the party in the future, reflecting the vast new membership. They have argued that MPs currently have an undemocratic veto on candidates.
The 10 per cent threshold was a compromise, with the original proposal being 5 per cent.
Leeds East MP and shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon told the Star that it is right that the party is taking steps to “modernise itself” now that its membership has tripled since before the 2015 general election to around 600,000 people.
The changes should go further in allowing members the choice on who makes it onto leadership ballots, Mr Burgon said.
“If Labour is going to be a party for the many and not the few then members should be given as much of a voice as possible, including on what the choice is when it comes to leadership elections in the future.
“I think it’s very important — that now we have a review coming up of future party rules — we ensure that Labour as a party is fit for purpose for the modern age in the way it functions.
“I would like to see this review consider a way that all constituent elements of the Labour movement – MPs, [constituency parties] and the trade unions and affiliated socialist societies — can all have a say in the future over who is on the leadership ballot.”
Rejecting the moaning of rightwingers, Mr Burgon noted that “MPs have an important role to play but so does everyone else.”
Derby North MP Chris Williamson said the changes will make the party more democratic.
“Involving Labour’s mass movement in developing policy will strengthen our party and make it easier to win power to change the course of history and create a new consensus that will radically change political discourse.
http://morningstaronline.co.uk/a-803e-Labour-Boosts-Party-Democracy#.WctWXsZpEdU
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